Velvet Ties
by Irual
Summary: What is happening in the criminal underground of St. Canard while Darkwing and his gang are in Duckburg for trials&tribularions And Who is really in charge of our fave crazed toymaker enjoy R&R QuackerjackXOCpart of my plots but can be read as stand alone
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Disney owns all their characters, all the originals belong to me. However I do not have permission to use Disney's property so I am doing this for writing practice, fun and feedback only so please review generously._

_This story starts right about when Commitment Commencement chapters 11 & 12 are happening and continues from there. The Party in the Park holds little appeal for Quackerjack so he is doing his own thing, especially since Negaduck has promised dire consequences to anyone who interferes with his plot. Also this story does imply some adult situations but it's nothing graphic and all between consenting adults. _

_This fan fiction follows the continuity of my plots. I doubt you have to read the others to follow this one, but I DO hope that this is a good read and that anyone who starts with this one will be interested in reading the others. Also just to be clear, my timeline happens beginning in February of 2008 but the characters are the same as they were on the cartoon. Gosalyn is now 10 since her birthday happened in Hexes & Vexes, Honker is 10 since his birthday happened in the cartoon while Drake/Darkwing is 25, Launchpad is 30 and Morgana is 26. Most if not all of the episodes have already happened but I am updating the technology and the worldview some to fit the times. Thank you your friend Irual._

_----_

It was after sunrise and the Old Haunt would be quieting down for the day soon anyway so it was about time to go to ground. Quackerjack was very disturbed, even for him. He was trying to shake off his depression and, though he would never admit it; fear. He had been living with these feelings for the past few weeks trying to recover from having been possessed and enslaved by a dark adept back in mid May, and while he WAS better than he had been, he was nowhere near his old maniacal, plaything oriented self.

One thing the experience had done for him was to remind him that there WERE actually more things in life than just destroying Wiffleboy and the modern electronics that had contributed to his toy companies demise. Honestly though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, what with the uncomfortable emotions he was having to deal with.

Leaving the Old Haunt behind, he drove his ducky car deeper into the bad side of town. Since his vehicle was shaped like a giant rubber ducky, people recognized it and swiftly got out of its way. Now usually Quackerjack considered this reaction to be a design bonus but he was uncharacteristically out of sorts and spoiling for a fight so having all those potential victims running off before he could unleash his weapon-like toys on them just made him grumpier. Keeping his goal firmly in mind, he managed to ignore his impulse to chase the rough gang that dodged away down an alley and pulled up to a nondescript building that looked abandoned and partially demolished.

Hopping out of the vehicle he absently set the alarm with his key fob and the answering 'Honk' from the ducky-mobile as the alarm set did draw an absent smile from the duck but this lightening of his mood swiftly passed. Stomping inside he didn't bother to try and turn on any lights, this particular place was very nearly falling down already and having been abandoned long before Quackerjack had taken residence meant there weren't any working utilities.

Quackerjack had made a few improvements to the building to make it more useful to him though. He had destroyed the interior upper floors and cleared most of the resulting rubble. There was some faint daylight coming in from the grimy windows in the walls and the various holes that time and small explosions had made in the walls so he could find his way easily enough and the lack of amenities meant that even street people tended to leave this dangerous derelict building alone. This added to the value of this place for Quackerjack. Having to chase off squatters WOULD have been useful as a way to work off some frustration but he didn't want to waste time on petty annoyances. The real reason he had come here though was tucked with surprising care under what was left of the main stairway that had gone up into the building.

This protected alcove was where he had hidden a very special stash of loot; even though he trusted the gang members of the Fearsome Five most of the time he had never confided to any of them about this…this was personal. Quackerjack knew perfectly well what the others in the gang thought of his work and his obsession, but Michael had more than one reason for this little toy box of treasures.

Wiping his hands on his jester outfit and carefully opening the battered toy box that was revealed when he moved a decrepit set of paint covered tarps; he dodged several sets of his wind up teeth that leaped out at him and swiftly grabbed his clown doll and switched off the attack function before it could hit him with it's axe. Absently he patted the teeth that were bouncing around like puppies and muttered "good boys" before scattering a few dental hygiene biscuits on the floor for them and reaching inside the box.

Carefully he lifted out a zoetrope and one of his sets of magic lantern slides, the viewer for the pictures was still in the box but he wasn't here for these items today. A fairly large padded box came out next and if anyone had chanced on Quackerjack at that moment, the tender expression on his face would have definitely thrown them for a loop. Of course anyone who had the misfortune of disturbing Quackerjack with his secrets most likely wouldn't have time to be that amazed, they would be too busy running for their life but that was a moot point since he was quite alone in the dilapidated building.

Returning the antique entertainment devices to the toy box and their protective more modern toy guards; Quackerjack tucked the box under his arm and drove away towards the river. West of the slums and the teeming criminal activity of the Old Haunt and it's neighborhood there were several streets of shops and buildings with functions that weren't obvious unless you already had some knowledge of the area.

After driving along one of these streets for a few blocks, there appeared a large, well kept building that took up nearly a city block all on its own. From the street nothing distinguished it from the rest of the city or the neighborhood other than its well kept façade of plain brick and the fact that there was only one visible opening in the wall facing the street on this side. There was a raised multilevel parking garage next door where he left his ducky mobile in the care of the attendants who clearly were used to the unusual vehicle and made no comments.

It was towards the doorway inset into the wall that Quackerjack went ignoring the fact the door was closed. With an uncharacteristic respect Quackerjack set his precious box down and flipped over the red velvet ropes that crisscrossed in front of the solid black door in the brick wall facing the street. Pulling on the ends of his jester hat causing the bells to jingle faintly Quackerjack picked up his package and lifted a hand to pound on the door, but it swung open before his hand could touch it.

Confidently Quackerjack strode into the room beyond the door as if he owned the place only to be stopped short by two identical black bears, wearing their usual custom tailored Parisian suits. The dark grey color of the suits fabric contrasted well with the sky blue shirts and steel grey ties that completed their day look but what actually brought Quackerjack to a halt was the pistol being held to the head of the Quackypatch doll in front of him.

Quackerjack HAD started to ignore this, after all it wasn't one of HIS, but this wasn't one of those horrible mass made ones either. In fact, it was a red haired, green eyed, duck billed, girl doll and aside from her collector's status hair and eyes, she was wearing an original Xavier designer playsuit! Sudden recognition struck Quackerjack as he realized he DID know this doll and he relaxed in as non-threatening a way as he could. If Lewis and Clark wanted too they could make his life even more miserable than Negaduck and that was saying something!

Lewis and Clark weren't stupid, they needed to assess Quackerjack and make certain what rules he was going to follow. Lady Velvet had guests nearly all the time and it was their responsibility to ensure that everyone within her walls played well together and with someone like Quackerjack it was ALWAYS smart to make sure.

Quackerjack for his part was a little offended at this treatment until Lewis spoke to him while pulling him roughly further into the hall and trapping him in an alcove by the door. Lewis growled, "Alright Quackerjack, here's how we play this game…. You answer us truthfully and no one gets hurt."

His brother Clark continued to menace the doll as he added, "Otherwise it will get messy." and Quackerjack actually paled as the bear tucked the gun back into the holster set for a cross draw and pulled out a black permanent marker and started to deface the doll's jumper.

Carefully setting his box down Quackerjack offered, "Let's not be hasty fellows, I can play nice. Lady Velvet won't be in the mood to play if something happens to her Tabitha.

He began divesting himself of some of his more lethal toys and hurriedly placed them within the alcove before looking back at the doll in Clark's grip. The marker had paused in its mission to deface the doll and Clark was waiting impassively as the collection of twisted and modified playthings from Quackerjack's costume grew into a truly disturbing mess the alcove.

After putting a set of nesting dolls on top of the pile, Quackerjack looked sideways at Lewis and said. "I don't dare leave all my toys here they will get lonesome; but I promise to obey Lady Velvet and not play with anyone else here unless she says I can. But all the rules are subject to change if Negaduck shows up."

Clark's eyes narrowed but Quackerjack added a bit desperately, "I can't help it fellows, Negaduck makes the rules not me but he knows Lady Velvet too and you KNOW he won't come here unless he's willing to play nice…well as nice as he can anyway."

Lewis nodded, the masked duck in question WAS a loose cannon, but he understood how to work in the underground and he was unlikely to ruin his contacts here without a much better reason than Quackerjack. This being the case, he and Clark traded glances before allowing Quackerjack to continue on into the compound owned and operated by St. Canard's highest ranked female criminal figure, Lady Velvet. Clark DID give Quackerjack's mystery package a leery look, but the costumed duck refused to let him peek.

In fact he was surprisingly dignified as he sniffed and said, "Get your own toys, this is strictly PERSONAL."

The warning gleam in Quackerjack's eyes would have made any lesser person step away from the duck, but Clark simply shrugged and said. "We won't look, but if you are giving it to Lady Velvet it has to pass inspection from Hardnose."

Heaving a put upon sigh, Quackerjack flounced over to a different alcove before pouting, "FINE then Spoilsports! But I get to give the box to Lady Velvet. NOT anyone else!"

Lewis nodded reassuringly as he slid the box through a small opening in the wall before agreeing, "Sure Quackerjack, we know you are one of Lady Velvet's special customers. We are only following orders here."

With an irritated sneer Quackerjack waited with ill grace until his box was returned to him. After carefully inspecting the contents, by peeking secretively under the lid; he hurried away in the direction of Lady Velvet's private salon.

Lewis sighed and made sure that security was informed about their 'guest' while Clark swiftly contacted Lady Velvet before they turned their attention back to the door. First though, they put up a barrier to ensure that no one accidentally messed with Quackerjack's toys. Neither of the bears doubted that the toymaker could call them to him if he chose, but at least this way, anyone stupid enough to actually touch something of Quackerjack's would be doing so at their own risk.

---

Moving with an eager stride Quackerjack went down a side passage and came out one of the doors into the inner courtyard that was surrounded by the brick façade that encompassed the entire building. Already happier, he scarcely noticed the well kept garden with it's large sculpted fountain or the restaurant dining area that was being prepped on the western side of the complex. Employees were setting the tables with tablecloths and place setting's of fine china and crystal stemware while the podium beside the entrance was put into place.

Hustling across the open pathway with his jester hat jingling he didn't even try to play any tricks on the female duck cleaning the fountain or the landscaping crew raking the plant beds. All the employee's noticed him though and were careful to stay out of his way and not object in any way even if he disturbed their work as he hustled to the back of the courtyard and ran up a set of stairs to a distinctively painted red door.

Suddenly nervous, Quackerjack pulled anxiously on his bells before straightening up to knock politely on the door. The deceptively sturdy, arch shaped panel swung open a few seconds later to reveal a beautiful lady duck in a short red dress. Her bright, golden blond hair was already in a simple Chignon that had sexy tendrils of hair escaping that draped over her shoulder and her medium blue eyes smiled at the colorfully dressed duck on her doorstep.

Her voice was gentle but there was a core of steel to it as she said, "Hello Michael." and stepped aside to give Quackerjack the space to step into her private rooms.

Quackerjack was uncharacteristically nervous and stuttered a little as he replied shyly, "I…I, I missed you Danielle."

Inside, was a cozy sitting room that had comfortable, plush chairs around an intimate little table and there were shelves of board games, puzzles and old fashioned toys set up around the area in easy reach. Across the room was a couch and a low coffee table already set with drinks and a tray of breakfast breads as well as a picnic style basket on the floor beside the sofa.

Silently Quackerjack placed his precious box beside the door and took a single step into the room as the criminal mastermind behind most of St. Canard's information traffic allowed the heavy door to swing shut. She gave him a stern look and went to the couch. Seating herself she waited with the hint of a mysterious smile on her delicate bill while Quackerjack shuffled uneasily after her.

He waited for a second and realized that her expression probably meant he should grovel. He went back to get his box and shyly offered it to her saying, "I saved the first of these from a junk dealer and I've been finding more for the last six months. I restored the smaller ones for you but the tiger is original."

Coyly Lady Velvet allowed him to really see her smile in anticipation of a gift, but it being Quackerjack she WAS cautious enough to ask, "That's very thoughtful of you Quackerjack??"

Michael's bill frowned slightly and he admitted, "Actually this is from ME Michael. I left most of Quackerjack with Lewis and Clark, unless you NEED him?"

Eagerly opening the box and shaking her head No, Danielle said, "Most of the city is occupied with that Party in the Park and I have already dispatched my teams for the day so I think this is a good time for me to have a play date."

At these magic words Michael's eyes lit up with what would ordinarily be the obsessive zeal that spelled disaster for some unfortunate part of St. Canard. But in this case it was Michael Bell who seated himself eagerly on the sofa as the special present he brought for her was revealed.

Danielle cooed, "Oh how SWEET! Michael I LOVE them!"

The grimy case was soon emptied as one by one a small collection of antique tin toys was lined up on the coffee table. They were all circus type toys and the pièce de résistance was the eight inch long tiger bobble-head toy that swiped a paw menacingly at its imaginary audience as its head wobbled on its spring. There were also several clowns on balls and one on a unicycle holding a hoop as well as a pair of 'dancing bears' and a seal in a ruffled collar playing a horn.

Of course unlike modern toys, these didn't contain electronics or gimmicks, and their movements were jerky being spring powered. What made them special was the spark of imagination and the skill in their design and craftsmanship that was still evident in them even after all this time.

Gazing at them admiringly for a moment Lady Velvet went to her desk and typed something into her terminal before shutting the lid on her desk. Turning back to the garishly dressed duck on her sofa she offered, "I have JUST the place to display those Michael. They are WONDERFUL! Thank you, you are one of the few people who understands just how special real playthings like these are."

Her eyes lit with a familiar gleam as she winked and bent to kiss him. Keeping him pressed against the couch she whispered, "It's been far too long since I've had some playtime and you are one of my favorite playmates."

Michael squirmed slightly making room to pull her down onto the sofa as he returned her embrace and asked with more than a hint of lust in his voice, "What do I have to do to move up on your list of favorites?"

---

Sometime later Michael was contentedly pulling apart a muffin and feeding both of them the pieces while Danielle caressed his shock of red hair. She was wearing his jester hat and its bells jingled quietly in time to her strokes as she hummed to him.

After they finished the muffin, Danielle offered, "Come on over to the table and we'll play a different game for a bit."

He promptly bounced to his feet and offered her a hand up. While she straightened her dress and pulled her hair back into a semblance of its former elegance; he tried to reclaim his headgear but coquettishly she refused to give it back. Instead she went to the shelf and pulled down one of the board games there while the bells on the jester hat jingled enticingly.

She set up the table, making sure to give him plenty of chances to enjoy the view as she bent over the game board and stretched to reach various things like the game pieces and the cards. Settling herself comfortably in the padded chair beside the shelves of toys she gestured to the chair opposite hers and said with a smile, "Now then, I think that in order for you to earn your hat back, we should play for it. If you win you can choose any piece of clothing I have on for yourself and if I win I do the same."

Delighted to see that this was the childhood classic 'Candy lane' and as usual Velvet was making the game even more fun than the manufacturer had envisioned he grinned and added, "How about we add a few side bet's to our little wager? For every red card I get to steal a kiss."

Swiftly agreeing to their house rules and adding other delightful consequences for the other colors on the board Danielle and Michael were soon engaged in an adult version of the game that ended up taking them several hours to complete.

---

Wistfully Michael admitted, "I'd like to play more often Danielle."

Giving him a last kiss and ushering him into the bathtub she said, "We both have our responsibilities Michael but I always enjoy our fun. You get cleaned up and I'll bring you your clean costume from my closet. I even had the cleaning staff use bubblegum scented fabric softener just for you."

Looking more than a little wistful herself she offered, "You know you are always welcome here and I'll make time for you always."

Sighing he went to the bubble bath she had drawn for him and suddenly a broad smile flitted over his beak as he rescued a regular, cute, rubber ducky from it's fog of bubbles.

She grinned as she heard the telltale 'quack' noise of the ducky being squeezed and turned with an impish smile to flick one of the towels at his tail feathers.

She offered as she shut the door behind her, "Play with the ducky while you get cleaned up Michael and if you insist on improving it take it with you alright? I really DO have to go down to lunch and hear the preliminary reports from my people. If you'd rather stay here and prune up under your feathers instead of having lunch with me in the restaurant…."

Michael scrambled to get in the tub and only had to be reminded twice more before he was climbing into his clean costume and restocking it with his emergency supplies. Lewis and Clark had most of his more obvious playthings, but he was too experienced a criminal to have left everything in the weapons check. After all if something happened he didn't want to be caught unprepared. Even when people agreed on the rules; they didn't always play by them and other than the others in the Fearsome Five, there weren't many people Michael or Quackerjack trusted. It Was true that The Velvet Rope was neutral territory, and Lady Velvet had the clout to enforce her will here in her bailiwick BUT…there was no sense taking unnecessary chances.

Hurrying out to the other room he smiled as he saw that Lady Velvet's staff had not only cleaned up their game and the leftovers. They had also installed a custom display with a vintage circus poster and several OLD paper dioramas of circus acts and culture that set off the tin toys beautifully. He paused to admire the restored paint and lovingly rubbed tin of the clowns he had refurbished and to notice that someone had even fashioned three wooden rings for the toys to perform in as well as replicating a tent-like atmosphere with canvas and what looked like an elephant's headdress emblazoned with the slogan 'greatest show on the planet.'

Hurrying down the stairs he felt better than he had in weeks! HE was the one who had saved those toys and brought them to a new and better home. He adjusted his costume and went to the restaurant area where Lady Velvet was waiting. She had cleaned up and was once again her usual elegant self in an off the shoulder dress of a different, slightly more cranberry shade of red than the one he had so enjoyed getting her out of.

Cart-wheeling his way past the podium and the wait staff he landed precisely in an oversized chair beside the oversized table where Lady Velvet was currently reading a report. Almost absently she nodded to herself and then turned her attention entirely to her guest.

Quackerjack WAS one of her favorites but he was notoriously volatile and his attention span was about what you'd expect of an impatient child. That being the case, it was in her best interests to make sure he was content. Even with the Party in the Park event there would be other guests to accommodate and business to see to. From about mid afternoon until the wee hours of the morning were her peak hours and an unoccupied or discontented Quackerjack was a recipe for disaster that she wanted to avoid. He HAD been Michael for most of the afternoon but now that he was in public and in costume he had his reputation to uphold.

The head waiter brought out the special divided plastic dishes and lidded cups and curly straws that Quackerjack favored when he was in a playful mood and offered him the menu. It was written in oversized letters, in crayon and in a rainbow of colors but the fare was every bit as five star and adult as the regular one. One of the reasons that the Velvet Rope was so successful was that Lady Velvet understood how to personalize experiences for her guests and made sure her staff followed through with every detail. After the lunched on a large T bone steak with baked potato and all the trimmings she waited to see what he wanted to do next. Usually he left fairly quickly after one of their play dates but he had been very subdued and quiet and Danielle was worried.

Quietly she offered, "I have to take care of some business but you are welcome to stay for the evening if you like. I should be done before dawn and a handsome escort like you doesn't come around every day."

He absently toyed with the remainder of his desert before looking deeply into her eyes and saying with his usual charismatic and slightly creepy laugh, "HA! It wouldn't be as much fun if I did Lady. But…I'd be honored to play with you tonight. I'll even make sure my panda wears his bowtie and that all my toys are wearing their formal clothes."

With that he dashed off to make his preparations while the waiters all relaxed visibly at his departure.

---

Steelbeak was FINALLY feeling like his usual self again. He had spent the last couple of months in S.H.U.S.H. custody after running afoul of a deranged Dark Adept back in May. His burns had been healed with the help of a strange female bear the thought of whom STILL made his feathers fluff and now he was back to his old handsome self and ready to reclaim his place in St. Canard's criminal underworld.

Once again he carefully checked his appearance and self consciously straightened his tie before checking his hand guns and brass knuckles. He had healed without even a scar or discolored feather to show for his months of pain but he was far from comfortable with what had happened even now. But, F.O.W.L. high command knew he was physically healed at last and had contacted him last week about his upcoming transfer to the ultra security super prison and so he had made good on his escape before being inconveniently incarcerated within it's very specialized walls.

High Command could have arranged for him to 'escape' even that prison with enough planning, but Steelbeak had understood the warning he had been given and escaped from the medical bay before hand so as to please his bosses with his efficiency. He straightened to his full height and snorted through his distinctive proboscis as he ran a polishing cloth over it and reflected that forcing him to escape S.H.U.S.H.'s tender care had most likely been a test to ensure he was still useful as well.

Ignoring the chills that ran down his spine at the thought of what would likely happen to him if he ever failed one such 'test' he went downstairs from the posh residence he had under his civilian name on the thirteenth floor of Canard Tower. His rented limo would be arriving downstairs in just a few minutes to take him to the Velvet Rope for dinner. Hopefully he could renew some of his contacts there as well since he was still woefully out of touch.

As Chanticleer Capon strode gracefully out the door and tipped the doorman while getting into the car, he transformed fully into Steelbeak, top agent of this quadrant for F.O.W.L.; and it was a darned good thing for him that he did. Waiting for him in the limo was one of the family's local operatives; a weasel named Sniffer.

Quietly the information specialist continued to catch Steelbeak upon the local crime scene and the current crop of rumors from the street. Steelbeak had met the weasel in the Tale of the Golden Idol bar yesterday but because of Steelbeak's being sidelined for so long, and because of the fairly radical and unexpected changes in the local scene; it was taking longer than usual for him to catch up.

F.O.W.L. High Command wouldn't tolerate excuses or inefficiency, they never WERE patient after all. But especially after being driven from St. Canard back in May, they were particularly touchy about this area now and it behooved him as the top agent in the area to be prepared.

Arriving at the Velvet Rope he stepped up to the entrance and the black door opened to reveal Lewis and Clark Lady Velvet's chief security experts. They were too professional to say anything directly to the rooster and their search of his person was as through and competent as he remembered, but Clark nodded to him and Lewis slipped him an engraved reservation card for one of the private lounges before turning their attention to back to the door.

Moving with most of his old grace and panache Steelbeak went into the courtyard and nodded to some of the staff as he went towards the back of the compound. He showed the reservation card to the formally dressed pair of guards in front of a set of double doors. Neither guard said anything but one of them opened the left-hand door for him and returned to his station. Meanwhile, his partner quietly directed an expensively dressed and very drunken matron hen towards the restaurant area and her escort who hurried to help her back to the less exclusive part of the courtyard.

As the rooster went into the hallway beyond Steelbeak noticed that the dancers who were entertaining the guests seemed to be particularly tense as the hen returned to the group by the fountain but for the life of him he didn't understand why. Shrugging off the minor mystery he continued on into the depths of the building and after glancing at the card again to be sure; he opened a very solid mahogany door on the right-hand side of the hall and entered the room beyond.

Waiting in the lounge was Lady velvet herself. The lady was impeccably dressed as usual but what brought Steelbeak to a halt was that her elegant coiffure was being gently caressed by none other than Quackerjack dressed in his usual colorful costume with the addition of a brightly colored rainbow tie and vest. The notorious villain was actually being very careful in his attentions so as not to muss her hair too much and Steelbeak almost backed out at the cold glare the duck leveled at the interruption.

Steelbeak froze half way though his bow, as Lady velvet stroked Quackerjack's lower bill and whispered something in his ear. The costumed duck moved reluctantly away from Velvet and giving the rooster another warning glare he stomped past the agent and out into the hall. Smiling at Steelbeak, Velvet gestured to the small table and comfortable chair setting beside the elegant sofa.

Offering him a smile she said, "Agent Steelbeak, I thought it appropriate to welcome you personally since you have been absent for so long. My staff is fully prepared to accommodate you and I wanted to assure you that your membership here is still in good standing in spite of your…shall we say unfortunate difficulties and the company you have kept of late."

---

C_andy Lane is a parody of Candy Land the child's board game and the greatest show on the planet is a tribute to the famous and awesome circus Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey circus. The tin toys I described were actually on an antique show on television and gave me the idea for some really OLD toys that would be of great interest to someone as interested in toys as Quackerjack and Lady Velvet are. I hope this first chapter is interesting and that people want to hear more of these characters and I will try and post more of this story before February. If not then hopefully before Valentines and thanks as always for reading this, your friend Irual_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: All the characters invented by those talented and awesome people involved with Disney belong entirely to them and I am borrowing them for the fun of telling their adventures for myself since Disney doesn't play with them anymore._

_I receive only feedback from the people who read this and no other profit is intended by me in any way. This story happens simultaneously with the end of Commitment Commencement and the beginning of Trials & Tribulations but you don't necessarily have to read those to enjoy this one. This is what Quackerjack (and others) are up to while Darkwing and Company are otherwise occupied. _

_This chapter DOES include implied references to adult situations but nothing graphic and it is between willing consenting adults but if this bothers you then skip the paragraphs denoted with *** Thank you in advance for your reviews, and I hope everyone is drawn further into my version of the Ducky-verse. Irual._

_---_

Lady Velvet had built her reputation and her power by dealing directly in the most precious commodity in the criminal world…information. She had exceeded even her expectations since establishing the Velvet Rope though, the restaurant and private club made a tidy and entirely legal profit aside from her information network. And since she made no attempt to interfere with the necessary inspections and other bureaucracy involved; it gave the city legal ways to keep tabs on her that she understood and made sure to turn to her advantage.

Besides, it was rather convenient to have ways to contact the other side of the fence when she needed to and given Steelbeak's reemergence tonight; she needed to. She had left the rooster in the company of several of her hostesses and had no doubts about the goings on that were already in play in the salon.

The girls knew how to protect themselves and Steelbeak was a fairly safe mark for them no matter how vigorous his playtime desires…usually. But just to be certain his recent troubles hadn't been more disturbing than she had been informed of; Velvet had retreated to her rooms and made certain of the audio and video surveillance and alerted the security team. Hardnose knew to keep his mouth shut, but Velvet took good care of her people; it helped to ensure their loyalty, and she didn't want to risk an incident.

Steelbeak would be a useful way to sound out F.O.W.L.'s position in a few more days and from her conversation with him he wasn't that far out of touch. She had given him a few tips and pointers in the midst of their banter; after all it was to her advantage to cultivate the bird and not just for his F.O.W.L. connections. The Capon's were still a force to be reckoned with in the city and Gentleman Joe Capon the Second wasn't just Steelbeak's grandfather; he was also a major player in the bar trade.

Granted it was legal but that made it an excellent cover for the gambling operations that were his actual stock in trade. The fact that his son, Steelbeak's father; J.C. was currently serving time in the maximum security tri-state prison was simply part of the puzzle that family represented. She had already sent the weekly letters through channels to inform both Gentleman Joe and J.C. of Steelbeak's recovery and the missives from Gentleman Joe to J.C. to keep him informed of the rumors.

Since she WAS entertaining this evening she didn't have anymore time to spend playing catch up though. Velvet started to close her laptop but an e mail caught her attention. Her eyes widened slightly as she absorbed the interesting tidbit that she had discovered from the jurisprudence clerk in the office of prison affairs.

J.C. had been a model prisoner since he had been convicted of money laundering and he was scheduled to be transferred to the minimum security federal prison just outside Virginia at the end of August. She made a note to send that along to both sides of his family and turned her attention resolutely to the party in the courtyard. She locked her laptop and placed it in her desk. Then she took the back stairs down into the hallway that connected the private rooms.

Moving down the corridor and joining Quackerjack just inside the double doors leading to the courtyard she smiled warmly at Michael and then her beak took on a lusty twist and her eyes glittered as she and Quackerjack stepped through the door. He too underwent subtle changes as they stepped onstage as it were. In just a few seconds Michael and Danielle were gone and in their places walked Lady Velvet and Quackerjack and everyone who saw them understood that and reacted accordingly.

The duck in the garishly colored costume had behaved remarkably well so far, but Quackerjack's showing up earlier today had reminded Velvet of another vital piece of the puzzle that she needed to set in motion. She stepped out into the courtyard and kept Quackerjack's attention by beginning a dance set with him as her exclusive partner. It was not only fun, it also kept the volatile toymaker from harming any of the other guests.

As they danced, Velvet's keen mind kept thinking and planning. Even though Quackerjack smelled of bubblegum, his physical strength and the aura of danger and instability that clung to him kept her mindful of just how deadly a dance she was really engaged in. Even so she still thought briefly on the duck who kept the most inherently unstable and dangerous super villains in the city under his wing…Negaduck.

Physically the mallard wasn't really her type; he was short and his temper was too high maintenance to be anything personal, like the relationship she so enjoyed with Quackerjack. But there was no denying Negaduck's competence or his value; particularly in light of the shake ups that were forming in St. Canard.

Negaduck was a major player in the local scene and STILL something of a mystery even after almost two years. Velvet had done quite a bit of digging around once he and Darkwing Duck had begun squaring off on a semi regular basis. The frustrating thing was that even though she had pinpointed the exact times and places both mallards had begun their respective campaigns in the tri-state area; she was still no closer to solving the mystery's that both birds represented.

Velvet smiled to herself as she admitted that the challenge they represented was something of a turn on all on it's own and snuggled attentively into Quackerjack's embrace. It had been far too long since she had had to stretch herself to learn what she wanted or needed to know and she was looking forward to this.

In any case…Negaduck was reliable in most cases in that he did what he wanted when he wanted and he possessed a strange sense of personal honor. If he wanted to destroy something or someone he was perfectly capable of doing so but by the same token he wouldn't break his word. And after gathering his gang of unique henchmen and declaring them HIS no one in St. Canard had survived any attempt to take anything or anyone away from him. Of course, like every other independent criminal he suffered occasional setbacks especially since the minions of law and order were understandably determined to thwart him but in a little over a year Negaduck had gone from an obscure nobody to the major player he was today.

He'd never once tried to cheat on a deal with her so Velvet felt quite confident that the package he had left with her was as accurate as the mallard could make it. Cultivating him as one of her clients had been a real masterstroke if she DID say so herself. Not only was he a useful source but he was a steady customer as well. Velvet was never one to trust anyone blindly though, so she had carefully correlated what her other sources had found out with what he had left her and almost everything matched up more or less. Now it was up to her to get the best price for the information she held and decide how to turn things to her advantage.

Fortunately, Quackerjack had been almost reasonable about her having to meet with her other guests so far this evening but she knew he was upset when he tightened his grip almost painfully on her arm and turned her attention entirely to the villain.

She touched her earpiece that was built into her earrings and the almost inaudible beep was reassuring since she didn't want to have to isolate Quacky. He would pout for weeks if she made him upset and their personal relationship aside, ticking off a criminal of his caliber and with his connections was never a good idea.

Looking up into his eyes she was concerned at the cold fury there and shifted so she could see what he was looking at that had so upset him. The lawyer Barrister Beagle was moving quietly across the courtyard, adroitly avoiding the dancers and musicians clearly headed towards the private rooms. Just behind him was Clark one of the twins that were in charge of security here. At first, Velvet wasn't sure what had set off the toymaker until Clark stepped up to the couple and started to make his report.

Quackerjack interrupted to demand, "Where did you put Tabitha?"

The bear was nonplused at this apparent non sequitur and paused as he reassessed the duck holding his boss. Velvet's keen mind swiftly picked up on the cue of the name and the way Quackerjack asked and began trying to lead the conversation so Clark would understand what to say.

Looking stern and sounding quieter than Quackerjack but still upset she asked, "Why do you ask Quacky dear? You didn't ask to see my collection, has Clark been into my dolls again?…."

Clark paled as he realized that the villain was most likely on one of his tangents and managed to reply steadily, "She's safe Quackerjack. I promised nothing would happen to her as long as you left most of your stuff in the alcove…."

As he moved past the revelers indulging themselves in the courtyard, Barrister Beagle noticed the stand off between Clark and Quackerjack but being able to assess a situation and make snap judgments that were usually right on the money were two of the talents that made him such a successful lawyer. Understanding that his interference would be unwelcome at best, Barrister pretended blindness and continued on into the depths of the private salon's and suites that made up a regular rabbit warren past the inner wall that separated these rooms from the more public courtyard.

He was meeting Flintheart Glomgold here tonight and in spite of the fairly melodramatic secret agent type hype associated with meeting here; Barrister had to admit that this was an excellent choice for their sort of business. Stepping confidently into the small parlor he saw his client Flintheart Glomgold standing beside a wet bar and idly toying with a glass decanter of whiskey. The ruthless old mallard was clearly furious but he didn't become as successful as he was by taking his temper out on his hired experts.

Without preamble Flintheart outlined the job he needed Barrister to do saying, "Alright, nether of us is a dewy eyed innocent so I'll get right to the point. There is a smalltime nuisance that I have a passing interest in. He's a photographer named Frank Muddlefoot and he tends to pick up on things that are useful to me on occasion. But he's reaching way above his station trying to move in my circle."

Flintheart's grip tightened on the stopper in the bottle before he carefully replaced the entire thing on the bar and gestured to the small table set with a fine dinner.

His voice was carefully controlled as he said, "Have a seat Barrister, the least we can do is enjoy Velvet's hospitality while I fill you in. But this fool's delusions of his own importance are nether here nor there at the moment. I've dealt with him occasionally and he has this trumped up notion that I am willing to help him with his current troubles. I am a very busy duck and I don't want to hear from him again so I have decided to be…generous and allow him the use of one of my investment properties in South America and I want you to represent him and I am prepared to send you your usual retainer bonus to cover your standard fees."

Surprised, since this wasn't the way Flintheart usually worked; and suspicious over the circumstances since Barrister seldom accepted cases on behalf of third party clients; the Beagle tried to get a little more out of the mallard. But the canny bird refused to divulge anything more, becoming less and less forthcoming as the meal progressed. When the meal was about over, Barrister started to refuse the case, on the grounds that he couldn't be expected to represent this Muddlefoot properly without a better understanding of the situation; and Flintheart snapped.

Turning over the table and scattering the place settings and serving dishes beside the bar Flintheart raged, "All you need to know is I want that sniveling worm out of the country and out of my feathers! I'll deal with him on a more permanent basis much later after he's stuck in South America. And DON'T think you can try my patience Beagle. You and your kin owe me. Unless you want to try and convince a judge to let you represent your grandmother and her daughters. I'm sure having the media involved in their doings would please you almost as much as this Muddlefoot's involvement in this pleases me."

It was this not so subtle threat that decided Barrister, and it was not the uncharacteristic physical violence Flintheart displayed that silenced his objections. It was his duty to protect the family and until he got together with Ma Beagle and found out what Granny Babalawo wanted him to do it was best to go along with this. A discrete knock on the door announced the arrival of a small staff who silently cleaned up the mess and set up a dessert table but Barrister wasn't in the mood to put up with anymore from Flintheart tonight.

Nodding once to the wealthy duck he spoke quietly, "Very well, in light of the fact that we have been mutually beneficial over our past associations, I'll take on this Muddlefoot for you. And you can be sure no one will discover your involvement from me or mine as long as your payments are both prompt and adequate. However, it would be wise of you to remember that I am the expert you need and I expect respect as well as recompense."

Moving with a calm he didn't feel Barrister started out of the compound when his attention was caught by the unusual sight of Vladimir Grizzlikof of S.H.U.S.H. quietly having dinner in a corner of the dining area and evidently enjoying the company of one of the hostesses. As far as he knew, the bear was a devoted professional with no personal life to speak of and Grizzlikof wasn't likely to divulge anything work related to anyone; particularly not to one of Velvet's girls. But just the idea of First Agent Grizzlikof having, well; a date of any sort was enough to stop Barrister for a moment.

The maître d'hôtel noticed him standing there and before he could collect himself and refuse; the tall dog-like figure in the tuxedo had politely ushered him to a small table beside the fountain and served him a dessert tray and coffee. Barrister started to refuse anyway but Lady Velvet moved smoothly past him on Quackerjack's arm and said coyly, "Please Do accept my hospitality and relax before you go. A legal representative of your caliber and reputation is always welcome here and I'd like to make up for any unpleasantness from earlier."

To his surprise she sat a small, engraved card beside the dessert plate and moved on before he could react and since he was still and silent he was able to observe the effect that Quackerjack had on the other guests even though Quackerjack had ignored him. The duck in question seemed to be acting as Lady Velvet's escort and didn't say much to anyone as he moved around the courtyard with her but people clearly recognized him and struggled to figure out the best response to the garishly clad duck.

Barrister was so fascinated with the ebb and flow of the tensions around the villain and the way that Lady Velvet seemed to effortlessly swirl through the crowds as she diffused their reactions and most likely played them for information that he couldn't bring himself to leave while they were in sight. She was also seemed to be in complete control of Quackerjack and his volatile temper as they swept through the crowd; It appeared that way at least until he read their body language and understood that Quackerjack was in fact leading his partner towards the upper rooms. He watched bemusedly as she acquiesced and the crowd seemed to forget the presence of the dangerous, criminal almost before he was out of arms reach and that amazed Barrister so much he almost forgot the card Lady Velvet had left him when he finally got up from the table to go.

The couple had just ascended a flight of stairs that led to a small balcony above the courtyard and disappeared within the red door at the top of the flight much to the relief of the crowd and the few employees who were visible from here and Barrister didn't want to overstay his welcome. After all he didn't want to run into Glomgold again tonight. He gestured to the wait staff and asked quietly for his check, to his surprise there was no price on the bill only a small note from Velvet that wished him a good night and that she hoped he would stop by more often when he was in St. Canard since she saw him far too seldom.

Shaking his head slightly and leaving a substantial tip in the discrete bill case; Barrister absently read the card she had placed on his table and realized that she had gifted him with a platinum membership to the private club here!

Understanding that this was an opportunity that was expected to benefit both lady Velvet and himself; he pocketed the card without comment and went to the St. Canard branch of his offices. They were by necessity small and sparse, but it was almost one in the morning and he needed sleep before beginning the cleanup of whatever mess this Muddlefoot person really was for Glomgold.

---

Velvet relaxed slightly against Quackerjack and let him guide her up the stairs. She had known that he would be hard pressed to maintain his composure while in costume and still act as her escort. And she had understood that he would expect a substantial reward for behaving so decorously but his immediate reaction once the door closed behind them still caught her off guard.

***His beak grabbed her hair and pulled the jeweled comb from it's place to fall on the carpet as his hands pulled at the fastenings of her gown. And it wasn't Michael Bell who ripped off his vest and giggled with a mad gleam in his eyes as he whispered, "IT'S playtime!" IT WAS Quackerjack.

***Fortunately she was prepared for this and she knew her watchdogs would monitor her rooms so she gave herself up to his demands knowing that her gown was a small price to pay to keep Quackerjack up here and out of the way of the other guests while he worked off his tension. About an hour later she wasn't sure if her gown was to be all she was going to have to replace as Quackerjack left the bed and paced around the room like the angry predator he was. His jester hat jingled menacingly with his every step but when Velvet lifted herself from the covers and attempted to go to him he immediately cart wheeled over to the bed and pinned her in place. Beginning another round of vigorous bed-games that left her breathless and a little sore since Quackerjack wasn't as considerate as Michael.

***After this though he seemed to calm and carried her into the bathroom and sat her in the bathtub and began to run a bubble bath. At first she was very nervous about this development but his eyes softened as his Jester hat and shorts fell beside the tub and he got into the huge container to groom her and her confidence returned as he whispered, "Michael and I both need today Danielle thank you."

What really told her that he was past his need for violence though was when he carried her back to the bed and then fetched her favorite Quackypatch doll Tabitha from her shelf by the desk. Beside the doll was one of Quackerjack's set's of wind up teeth that he sat beside himself on the bed and absently began petting like a lapdog as it wiggled and twitched under his ministrations in much the same way as Danielle had earlier.

Blushing at her thoughts, she offered, "I AM always glad when you come by Darling." and they fell asleep until her koo coo clock went off a few hours later. What woke them up though was the sound of the axe welding clown doll's weapon splintering the box as the Koo coo bird made his frantic escape.

---

First Agent Grizzlikof was at his desk and hard at work even though it was a few minutes until eight on Monday. He had discovered early on in his career that he was better off coming in early and getting a head start on his paperwork than he would have been by coming in at the regular time and getting an extra hour of sleep. He had really enjoyed his evening at the Velvet Rope a few nights ago and the gossip he was sure had been purposefully fed to him by the hostess had so far all checked out as legitimate leads on several cases.

Director Hooter was right, he DID need to get out more…even so the agency ran on paperwork and reports and he needed to know the data that was current for the St. Canard area. This being the case, and the fact that lady Velvet's hostess had been the one to slip him the SD card he had downloaded and correlated with the other reports this week had set off his healthy sense of paranoia. Something BIG was building up in the criminal side of St. Canard and he was too experienced an agent to hope that the repercussions would remain entirely within the criminal side of the city's citizenry.

Stretching his massive shoulders and sipping a mug of coffee while taking a bit of a break from reading his notes from last night, Grizzlikof was just settling back at his desk when one of the emergency alarms sounded and then was abruptly cut off. Grumbling a bit at the unfairness of the universe since having stuff happen in between shifts always meant a delay in response times. Grizzlikof checked all the usual avenues and was shocked a few minutes later when he finally thought to check the HERO's protocols and realized that a fairly small suburban house in a quiet neighborhood was wired with a S.H.U.S.H. priority one alarm.

Cursing in Russian, German and English he stabbed several incorrect buttons in his haste to contact Benji and Director Hooter as he belatedly realized who most likely lived there. Secret identity be darned, there was no way S.H.U.S.H. was going to stand by while it's operatives homes were broken into; especially not that home….If anything happened to the Mallards or Launchpad…. To his horror a second alarm sounded and he realized that young Honker Muddlefoot's house was being broken into too! Stilling his errant tongue he pulled his suit coat over his holster and ran for the Directors office.

Ignoring his spilled coffee that someone would have to mop up off the floor later; the bear shouted for backup. At his outburst, the personnel that were technically leaving from the night shift joined those who were just arriving for day watch in rushing after their superior. Hooter was punctual and most likely was already in the building if not in his office and given how clumsy he was just now, Gizz had decided that it would be faster to run than too fiddle with all those buttons and switches at his desk.

Benji met him halfway there with her weapon drawn and a snarl on her face and demanded, "What is going on Griz?"

Director Hooter was almost to his door and all of them stopped short in confusion as Grizzlikof hurriedly explained thesituation. Fortunately before he was even halfway through Director Hooter began issuing orders to get teams out to the scene and find the personnel who were most likely the victims of the break-ins. Hooter's personal phone went off and he began speaking to Darkwing who was evidently flying to the scene.

According to his estimate, Darkwing's E.T.A. would be at least another twenty minutes and at that Grizzlikof started to hit one of the alarm overrides on Hooter's desk to stop emergency team on the way to 537 Avian Way since according to Darkwing his home was empty.

But then Darkwing admitted that young Bolt and his family were unaccounted for and Grizzlikof stayed his hand so the team would go on out to the scene. If whomever was responsible for the break-in's found the Muddlefoot's at home, then the emergency procedures would be most likely be too little too late. Especially if the perpetrators knew of their S.H.U.S.H. connections and that was the reason for the break-in. But before Grizzlikof could assign himself to the team heading for the source of the alarms, Hooter's gesture made him follow the tiny owl into his office.

Hooter had flipped his phone shut after finishing the debriefing with Darkwing and quickly began assigning personnel to sort out what was happening aside from this emergency and then had Grizzlikof inform Dr. Bellum to have a full medical team on standby before toggling the switch that connected his office with Police Chief Glover and quietly assigning Grizzlikof to handle correlating the incoming information with the real time response team.

---

Quackerjack was feeling quite a bit better since his little play date and he decided to celebrate by rounding up Megavolt and seeing if the rodent wanted to play. After all, other than making sure to tell them all not to interfere with the stupid fund raiser last Thursday Negaduck hadn't said they had to lay low and it had been DAYS since he and Megsy had planned one of their themed crime sprees.

After searching high and low for Megavolt for almost two days Quackerjack was no longer feeling playful towards his electrified gang member instead he was alternating between furious and tearfully anxious. Inspired by a sudden thought Quackerjack decided to round up some help and headed towards the isolated greenhouse where Bushroot liked to hang out and perform his experiments.

Po-going energetically he bounced his way up to the greenhouse and tried to go in the door, but he was deprived of his transportation as the tree beside the doorway reached out a leaf covered branch and pulled the pogo stick up into it's crown and dumped him inside the door. Indignant at this treatment and inclined to intimidate the mutant plant/duck into groveling to make up for this insult, and to help him downplay his concern for Megavolt….

Quackerjack pulled out his Mr. Banana Brain doll and demanded petulantly in the doll's squeaky falsetto voice, "What's the plan Stan?" before dropping his voice to it's usual register and stomping towards Bushroot to find out what was going on. Usually Bushroot treated him better than this!

Without even turning around Bushroot said calmly, "I can't play now Quackerjack I am in the middle of some important research for one of the cancer projects at the medical college and…."

He paused as Spike growled warningly and the fairly tall figure of Bushroot was suddenly a lot more menacing than usual as he spun in place and raised his vine-like arms.

Quackerjack decided to switch tactics and began to beg piteously, "Aw Bushy, Don't be like that. All work and no play will make your petals fall out."

Bushroot sighed and sat the tiny vial that he had been working with in a sealed case with his pipettes and glared warningly at his visitor. Quackerjack grinned, he knew how to win this game alright all he had to do was bug Reggie until he decided to help find Megavolt just to be rid of the annoyance of the toymaker and his whining.

Whipping out one of his patent pending, genuine, fake dinosaur bones Quackerjack dangled it above Spike saying, "I know how to play nice Bushroot, but I need to find a playmate for my game and…."

Bushroot interrupted, "I really don't want to play for the next few days….can't you get Megavolt to partner you for a crime spree? SPIKE NO! Don't eat that!"

Frantic to prevent his pet from losing most of his mouth Bushroot grabbed the end of the bone as Spike growled playfully and began to play a game of tug-of-war not realizing that the bone was actually made of out of a moldable and surprisingly stable version of plastique and was most likely rigged to explode.

After wrestling the dangerous toy away from his loyal pet, Bushroot turned to see that Quackerjack was disturbingly close to his experimental bed of hydrangeas and started over to intercept the clown before something bad happened. The hydrangeas in question were rustling uneasily and Quackerjack spun around with a patently guilty expression as Bushroot thrust the dinosaur bone at the other duck saying, "Here I don't want Spike to eat between meals especially not snacks that will explode."

Quackerjack promptly tried to hide a small flask behind his back and Bushroot demanded, "Where did you get that flask?! OH! NO!"

The scientist moaned as he grabbed the flask and read the carefully printed label before frantically gesturing with his arms and waving his leafy hands at the bed of hydrangeas. "that is my experimental growth formula Quackerjack! The plants only need a few drops! How could you have fed them the whole bottle?"

The bushes in question were not responding to the mutant's frantic pleas and had already grown to ten times their size and their roots were cracking the cement container that had defined their bed. Worried now since Bushroot was apparently not able to control the plants with his usual precision Quackerjack backed away from the bed and began fighting with several of the bushes as they rose on their roots and grew arm-like areas as well as openings that were very much like leafy mouths.

Quackerjack and Bushroot were panting and staring at the greenhouse as the mutant plant/duck continued to force his hydrangeas back into what was left of the growing room. It had taken him far more energy than usual to get through to the bushes since they had been overdosed with the growth formula but they were listening at last.

As soon as the last bush had retreated into the remains of the small greenhouse where he had been working on his experiment Bushroot turned to glare at Quackerjack saying, "NOW look what you've done!"

To Bushroot's surprise Quackerjack deflated and whimpered as he turned away from the other villain to hide his emotional breakdown. Belatedly Bushroot realized that Quackerjack wasn't his usual self and was having another one of his spates of depression and sighed to himself. Spike came cautiously over to the twosome carrying Quackerjack's Mr. Banana brain doll and whined as he offered the toy to it's maker before sitting on his haunches and panting proudly. Bushroot put a leafy hand on Quackerjack's shoulder and offered, "It's okay Michael. I'll have the blackjack oaks sweep the glass into the dumpsters and file an anonymous report so the insurance people will come out tomorrow and I can move my experiments to the research campus. Look…I'm sorry I lost my temper okay?"

Michael sniffed again and then said sadly, "I just wanted you to help me find Megs. I was only going to feed them for you so you could help me…."

Bushroot groaned and offered, "Negaduck is already looking for Megavolt Michael. Why don't you come with me and visit Liquidator? He has been working on a project of his own all weekend and he should be up for a caper."

Shaking off his feelings Quackerjack snapped back into villain mode to ask eagerly, "OoooOOO do you think Licky will want to play with my rubber ducky raft?"

Bushroot absently finished packing up his equipment and samples and offered, "Let's find out." before gesturing to the mutated hydrangeas which scooped up all three of the unique characters and disappeared into the late afternoon dusk on the way to the St. Canard waterworks. Bushroot knew that Bud had several hideouts that he was keeping under wraps so he was going to send a message through the water treatment plant that Liquidator could answer without giving his hideouts or his caper away. With Quackerjack acting so despondent it was best to keep him occupied away from sensitive things.

---

_I hope everyone likes this and enjoys this little interlude since the next bit should have lot's more action. I intend to give Steelbeak his chance in the spotlight next and then elaborate on some of the mystery shake up Negs has been preparing for. Please read and review if you can since I LIVE for responses. Your friend Irual_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Disney owns all their characters and I am borrowing them to tell my plots for no money just responses from readers like you. This plot deals with the criminal underworld OF St. Canard and its workings and should deal with the rumors and this chapter reveals part of the crew behind the mystery. This chapter also mentions prostitution, gambling and other criminal acts and in the flashback Danielle Duck is underage but there is no actual sex or anything. Please enjoy and let me know if I am too graphic for a T rating and I'll change it. Thank you, Irual_

_---_

Clovis Bovine was anything but stupid and she had always figured that becoming involved with Taurus Bulba would mean trouble. Despite that, this situation wasn't something she had expected; not at all. Clovis was a shapely cow-like female that had been linked to Taurus Bulba for years and it was she who had taken over the remnants of his organization when he had been 'killed' fighting Darkwing Duck just over two years ago and rebuilt it into a profitable and respected enterprise.

She had been just as shocked as everyone else when her boss and sometime lover Taurus had returned from the dead as a cyborg, rebuilt by F.O.W.L. and hell bent on revenge. Unlike the others that knew he was still alive though, Clovis had drawn on her own store of wisdom and remained a staunchly loyal and competent second to the bull. This meant she had retained both her position as the figurehead in charge of their organization and her place as his trusted companion. Taurus Bulba was still very much in charge of the organization she had rebuilt. As far as he knew anyway, and ever since he had been driven from St. Canard by Darkwing Duck he had been scheming and planning to enact revenge on the caped and masked avian and to destroy the tri-state area in order to rebuild it to his specifications.

This being the case, he had begun assembling more weaponry and recruiting people for his 'special' team for months. One of the most difficult to control was currently causing havoc with their equipment…but Bulba's orders had been specific, the raven was to be kept safe from the minions of law and order and her strange fits were to be brought under control.

This being the case, Clovis had contacted a couple of the sawbones that worked the criminal side of the street but they needed some kind of specialist not a butcher and Clovis hadn't found anyone who she dared bring in since no one was quite sure what was wrong with Black Secret. Clovis sighed as she kept watch on the monitor that showed the raven now seemingly fully aware and focusing on leaving the room. Meanwhile several of her other henchmen continued to move the computer servers out of the room next door to keep them from being destroyed if the raven lost her bearings and started destroying things again.

The strange raven that insisted on being called Black Secret or Black and who had been recruited because of her ability to gather intelligence and help with other subtler aspects of their operations was currently cursing and trying to fight some supposed enemies that weren't there at all. So far she had destroyed several chairs, a couch and two of the equipment consoles in the room where she had fallen asleep and she showed no signs of calming down anytime soon.

Hammerhead Hannigan, Clovis' goat styled henchmen; flinched as the monitor showed more of the room falling apart as the raven once again used her strange and newly acquired powers to smash the rest of the chairs to splintered bits without having to actually touch them. She had actually been hired because she was an accomplished thief and had no qualms about accepting assassination contracts as well, but when she had finally reported to Clovis; she had been unstable and far less professional than her reputation had said she was.

To Clovis' relief Black Secret hadn't revealed what the independent job she had tried had been. So far at least, no one had discovered anything concrete to substantiate her claims that she had acquired these powers as a bonus from it, but her strange powers were what had everyone on edge. All she did was point her clinched fist at the conference table and seconds later 'poof' it became the newest casualty of an invisible impact. Then she spun around to face the door with a high pitched shriek and started for the door to the hall with a wild look in her eyes.

Hoof and Mouth made a desperate dash for safety dragging Clovis with them as Hammerhead readied his handgun and stepped up to protect Clovis. A few seconds later Black Secret charged into the room from the hallway and stopped abruptly as she saw Hammerhead Hannigan waiting to shoot her. Her eyes narrowed contemptuously and her beak opened as she panted glaring at the goat. She was clearly deciding exactly how best to attack Hammerhead when the standoff was interrupted by a calm female voice….

Shaking off Hoof and Mouth and handing Hoof a bottle of mineral heavy supplements, Clovis stood tall and said, "I have more of the supplements ready that you asked for."

Clovis gestured to Hoof who shook visibly as he went towards the raven with the open bottle of pills. Cocking her head to one side suspiciously Black watched the hapless sheep-like fellow before snatching the bottle from him and gulping down a mouthful of the vitamins.

Clovis offered carefully, "I have some food ready for you, and I am having more vitamins made so you will be able to have them whenever you need them."

Mouth sighed as he obeyed Clovis' gesture and stepped fearfully up to open another door while Hammerhead kept his gun trained on the Avian.

Speaking clearly the raven nodded and said, "Yes, I need food…we will speak afterwards, yes?"

And at Clovis' nod Black Secret went into the next room without any further fuss, evidently the vitamins and minerals were already helping since she was speaking instead of shrieking. Even more encouraging to the rest of the anxious group was the fact that even though her gait was unsteady, Black made it through the doorway without hitting the door frame or the wall of the hall outside the monitoring room as she docilely followed the still shaking Mouth towards the elevators to go to the dining hall that had been set up to keep people from needing to go out in large numbers.

As far as she knew, Clovis had managed to keep the presence of her group here fairly quiet and she hadn't wanted to chance anyone's finding out about her recently setting up shop in the tri state area again. Hoof, Mouth and Hammerhead Hannigan were fairly recognizable and had active criminal records after all, and it wasn't as though she could remain unnoticed either. Cow type people weren't all that common a sight in St. Canard since the vast majority of the people in St. Canard were Avian.

If they were followed it wouldn't take much for someone to connect the dots and discover what she had been up to aside from her money laundering and gambling operations that she had organized to raise some ready cash to finance setting up this base. She had recruited some otherwise law abiding, out of work, construction crews and had them transform part of this series of warehouses refurbishing them as connected dorms, and entertainment halls as well as the makeshift emergency medical clinic and dinning area.

Clovis' cover story had been that she was renovating the area for several charity groups and she had been cautious in allowing most of the workers to realize just how 'special' the renovations were for the key areas like the weapons lockers, electronics and safe rooms but…from what she had been told; someone somewhere was starting to suspect something and that was bad…. Ignoring the apprehension in her belly, Clovis moved down several levels and placed her eye against the scanner that would allow access to the true secret hidden here.

The door opened and Clovis stepped inside. To her immediate right was a lab area where a frightened Rat-like fellow was working away at what was hopefully another series of vitamin supplements for Black Secret and at the sound of her footsteps he jerked and nearly tripped over the chain that was attached to his ankle keeping him securely imprisoned in the work area. He moved stiffly and held himself braced against the table as he cringed and Clovis sighed to herself as she looked in on the other prisoner they had acquired.

In the room next to this one was another lab coated fellow, this one of avian design; who was frantically assembling one of the weapon mounts they had stolen from F.O.W.L.'s. base North of here and at her approach he too cringed and dropped then his spanner. He too sported ankle chains and unlike the rat, he showed definite signs of having been physically injured recently.

His left arm was bandaged and held close to his breastbone with a sling and his beak was cracked and swollen. Despite this though; there was still spirit in his eyes until he saw Clovis. The energy in his eyes died and hopelessness replaced the look of concentration he had been wearing. Suspiciously, Clovis looked closer at the equipment he was working on; but as far as she could tell it was all completely as it should be.

Her eyes narrowed but before she could say anything she felt a massive presence come up behind her. Clovis stiffened at the heavy, measured tread that sounded as the rasp of a mechanical respirator accompanied by a metallic click announced the arrival of Taurus Bulba. She shook her head slightly as the bird's color faded completely and he cringed beside the work table.

Taurus spoke and she felt an all too familiar shiver travel up and down her spine as his deep, powerful voice flowed over her. "He isn't useful to me with his arm broken and unable to assemble the necessary weapons Clovis…. I don't want to have to reschedule the timetable again and since the recruitment teams have been less than efficient in acquiring most of the engineers that have the experience and expertise that I need…I don't want the ones we have to be damaged further."

Feigning calm, Clovis replied, "Yes Taurus Bulba. I'll have Hammerhead…."

Taurus Bulba's already massive body flexed and his arms suddenly disappeared into the jet wings that he used to fly and Clovis immediately went silent. She waited and forced herself to relax as his temper flared causing heat to come off his body.

A definite note of fury rose in Bulba's voice as he cut her off saying, "NO. Go yourself Clovis and offer Velvet some more information about the splintering of F.O.W.L… These few engineers we have gotten won't last without a real doctor."

Then his wings retracted and became arms again. His hand clenched Clovis' shoulder but his terrifying strength was restrained and he didn't crush her. Instead his voice was almost its old, composed, controlled self.

He added softly in her ear, "And until I get the repairs and upgrades I need. I can't be of use to you…."

Her large, cone shaped ear swiveled as his hot breath touched the fine hairs along the outer edge of her ear and her breath caught in spite of her attempt at controlling her reaction to his whisper. Shivering she struggled to maintain the professional calm that he valued and nodded before saying, "yes Taurus…. I'll go tonight and make the arrangements."

Taurus Bulba HAD noticed that her flesh and blood body had responded to his offer and deep inside himself he felt an unfamiliar sense of satisfaction at the knowledge that Clovis was STILL his. Ignoring the rest of that thought, he continued ominously, "See to it that the prisoners are put into solitary and keep Black Secret away from them. Evidently she hates S.H.U.S.H. as much as I want F.O.W.L. to be destroyed and I don't want to take any more chances with them. S.H.U.S.H. has caught onto our methods and is keeping most of the personnel I wanted somewhere out of sight and without one of the Aeronautics specialists my Jet mode is going to continue to be a problem."

Clovis offered efficiently while carefully keeping her voice neutral, "While I am out I will see if Velvet has any leads to where they stashed Jackson Brown; he's not only the engineer you need, S.H.U.S.H. tends to keep doing whatever works without doing anything different. Wherever they stashed him will most likely yield other people we can use too."

At Taurus Bulba's nod she moved quickly back through the upper floor to send an e mail to the general drop server. As soon as she was in the upper office she breathed a sigh of relief and let herself continue her thoughts from downstairs. Greatly daring she thought to herself, 'now if only I dared to try and set up someone else to get rid of Negaduck but after what happened to Black Secret I don't even dare try for Darkwing. Not yet, Taurus is convinced that this 'team' of his will rival the Justice Ducks and be able to bring the tri state area to it's knees but…I think that it doesn't matter who OR how it happens as long as those two are eliminated. Of course, if Taurus finds out what I am up to…' suppressing a shudder Clovis received her conformation number for her reservation and went to get ready. Not only was she going to have to look the part tonight, she was going to have to be even more careful about what she bargained for and with.

---

Lady Velvet was busy working at her desk when there was a knock on her private door that led into the warren of passageways within the network of private rooms downstairs. Hardnose stepped inside and waited for his boss to acknowledge him. He was a tall, thin, rat-like fellow and she smiled as she took in his appearance and saw that his body language was relaxed and alert. Hardnose was actually one of the keenest minds that worked in the information racket but his physical appearance was carefully deceptive.

He had been her very first connection in St. Canard and he was still the person she trusted most. For just a moment her mind flashed back to when she had first met Hardnose and together they had begun to build something for themselves out of the ruins of their former lives. It had been nearly ten years ago now and over the time they had spent together she had heard all about why he had come to the growing metropolis of St. Canard but she still remembered her first sight of him. She had been cowering in an alley trying to stop her tears, If Big Dog caught her crying he'd be angry and really punish her since she hadn't brought him any money after he had 'disciplined' her for resisting the drugs he had offered as her reward for agreeing to share him with the other girls.

Then the sound of an almost silent footfall had caught her attention and she had looked up to see a lean, well muscled rat-like male crouched beside her. His dark brown eyes had held something…but then his expression had tuned hard and before she had the chance to react he had wrapped his trench coat around her and dragged her away from the alley. At first she hadn't thought to object, not until he had tried to take off her dog tags, without Big Dog the gangs would eat her alive!

Lady Velvet's beak turned up in a slight smile at how naive she had been. Fresh off the bus from Waterville she had been an easy mark for Big Dog and his gang, that was the reason she took such good care of her people and made sure to recruit her girls from the legal age brackets and keep them drug free.

The fact that she bankrolled several of the smaller gangs to inform her of the sentient traffickers and make their lives as miserable as their merchandise was beside the point. Thoughtfully she made an entry in her journal before shutting her laptop to give Hardnose her full attention. Negaduck had been particularly interested in learning about the sentient traffickers particularly the routes they used to smuggle their merchandise and how they got rid of them to their buyers.

Velvet knew that Negaduck was utterly ruthless and completely willing to do whatever he had to, but her instincts were saying that he wasn't going into the business. Something about the mallard had told her that he was far more likely to destroy the flesh peddlers than to profit from them.

She had seen the blazing interest in his eyes before the mallard had gotten his reaction under control though. Before he had left the city Negaduck had admitted he was going after Megavolt, and Velvet wondered if maybe someone had kidnapped the electrified rodent…. Deciding to look into the matter and assign a team to check things out; she looked up and shut her desk. She had been woolgathering and Hardnose deserved far more than just her full attention.

For his part, Hardnose was actually enjoying the sight of Danielle at work. He mused as he watched her expression change slightly from concentration to amusement and then back to concentration before she looked up again and shut her desk top. While he waited he couldn't help but remember the frightened fifteen year old duckling she had been and contrast that powerless child to the competent and powerful female seated before him now. He mused on the whims of fate, why if his con hadn't gone sour he'd have likely stayed in Mousetown and been nothing more than a smalltime operator in and out of jail for the rest of his life instead of the success he was today…he remembered what had happened just as though it was yesterday.

Stepping off the bus from Mousetown Hardnose adjusted his collar and walked nonchalantly towards the riverfront. He winced as the motion reminded him of his injuries but knowing that people were still looking for him meant it wasn't safe to go to a hospital. Those Beagles were too numerous to fight for a single smalltime operator like himself. He frowned as he reflected on just how poor a choice his last mark had been, but how was he to know that his mark would have the know how and the moxie to hire them to get his money back?

Pulling the brim of his hat a little snugger over his brow to casually keep his face a bit out of sight he made sure to walk normally and not hurry as he disappeared around the end of the bus depot and made his way down a nearby alley. The cops in Mousetown MIGHT trace him to the bus depot since his last mark had also filed a complaint with them and if they did…. Hardnose's sensitive nostrils flared as he moved with caution down the alley, someone else was in the area and since his only weapon was a pair of brass knuckles it wouldn't do to be caught off guard. The tall rat-like male crept just past the dumpster and froze in sheer surprise before whipping off his coat and wrapping it around the barely clothed, and heartbreakingly young female duck crouched there.

Gruffly he covered her up, noticing from the way she was bruised that she looked to have been recently beaten; and from her scanty wardrobe and heavy, tear smeared makeup most likely the beating had been administered by her pimp since whoever had done this had been careful not to mark her face. Without asking her any questions he pulled her to her feet, grateful that she seemed able to keep up as they moved out of the other end of the alley and headed east.

His brother worked for one of the gambling rackets as a card runner and the flophouse where he stayed wasn't so far they couldn't walk to it. The main problem would be that people were sure to notice the girl and remember them since his coat was much too long and cut too narrowly to fit her avian body well.

Pulling her along he began quizzing her quietly as he kept to the side streets and coming to an abrupt decision he changed direction slightly. Sniffing carefully and ignoring the smell of blood and her avian pheromones Hardnose analyzed her scent and didn't pick up any of the usual telltales that whores gave off when they were on the drugs their pimps addicted them to. He checked her ankles, wrists and elbows under her thin damaged plumes and didn't find any drug tracks and his heart lurched.

His brother Rodney picked up and delivered bar betting cards and one of the places on his route was a seedy hangout called The Old Haunt. Hardnose sighed, he couldn't leave her…at this rate she would be dead in a gutter in a month unless her pimp sold her to a house after he addicted her to whatever chemical cocktail was currently in vogue.

Remembering his sister and how they had buried her Hardnose's face became grim; and he fell silent as he moved along the waterfront looking for one of the sewer entrances that he could use to leave a message. Kneeling at the manhole cover he slid a small scrap of red cloth into the hole on the left side of the cover and grabbed the girl again.

She seemed to be in shock and hadn't tried to get away but Hardnose knew her docile behavior wasn't likely to last. If he was really lucky his cousin Brighteyes would be working bar there at the Old Haunt. When Rodney made his pickups Hardnose figured he could find out exactly what was going on in this part of town. The scents here were far too chaotic and from the few people he had observed this little runaway wasn't the only potential victim on the streets today.

They could hide the girl until he caught up with Rodney and Brighteyes and they would have a little while to decide how to handle the pimp. Until he figured out what to do to make a living to keep the heat off it would be best not to get into any trouble, but…Hardnose stole another glance at the pathetically trembling duckling and realized that she was most likely hungry as well as her other problems. Well Brighteyes ran an old fashioned set up in the Old Haunt there would be a sandwich there or some other non cooked food he could give her.

First things first, they were going to have to become inconspicuous…at the earliest opportunity he dragged her into a restroom and scrubbed off what was left of her makeup before hurrying on to the Old Haunt. Brighteyes had offered no comment until after making room in the cupboard behind the bar to stuff the duckling inside. Then he asked, "Alright Hardnose, just how much heat are we talking here?"

Hardnose scooped up an apron and a bar rag and began cleaning as he whispered to Brighteyes saying, "as far as I know the girl is clean unless her pimp comes here looking for her. I found his ownership ID on her ankle but I can't cut it off. She tried to break her ankle to keep it on and I'm afraid it's a tracker."

Brighteyes sighed grimly, "Well we'll deal with that tonight. The Capon's aren't into peddling flesh and old man Capon's son just buried a baby girl so I can probably hide her until we can get the ID off and get rid of the Pimp. Big Dog isn't a big time player and no one will care except whatever is left of his stable of girls…."

Hardnose nodded and admitted, "I've got the scent filed away, and if I get the chance I'll warn you. I've had a bit of a setback in Mousetown and I need to relocate. I also need to change descriptions."

Thoroughly startled at this Brighteyes said, "I don't want to know who you tried to con this time Hardnose, if the heat is that bad maybe you better think about changing your profession as well as your residence. We are family of course and you know Rodney and I will back you. But things are unsettled around here so there isn't much space for a confidence man. Most of the bigger fish here are actually avian and we rats do better behind the scenes."

When Rodney came in he didn't ask anything about Hardnose's being there instead he offered, "come with me and memorize my route and I'll take you to meet the Gentleman who can set you up."

Danielle came to her senses as the tall rat-like male that she had been following put her into a small cupboard behind the bar and whispered, "Quiet now girl…. I'll come back for you after I get this delivery done and we'll figure somewhere for you to go."

He scooped a sandwich off the counter and handed her that and a bottle of Koo Koo Cola and shut the door as a second rat hissed, "Hurry up Hardnose. Your soft heart is going to get us both killed. Are you SURE her pimp didn't follow you?"

I'm sure Brighteyes…there aren't any track marks on her arms or ankles. I'm guessing she's one of those girls who think their pimp is their boyfriend and he hasn't rewarded her with drugs yet."

Brighteyes sighed and admitted, "If you run the route for me with Rodney I'll try and keep her hidden until you get back. "

Danielle winced at the hard, angry look on both rats faces before carefully allowing the cupboard door to swing all the way shut. As she was gulping down the sandwich, she heard the first rat say, "I'm sorry about making things so complicated Brighteyes, but when I saw her…. "

Brighteyes interrupted, "its okay brother, duck or not she could have been our sister. And I know it too. Listen, the Capon's have been having a bit of a shakeup lately and a smart rat like you has a real chance to disappear and make a new name for yourself if they take you on so pay attention alright? The last thing you need to worry about is some small time pimp and his stable. She'll be here when you get back."

Hefting the baseball bat behind the counter and showing Hardnose the sawed off shotgun behind the bar Brighteyes offered, "Don't fret over your little feathered find. If Big Dog tries anything I'll break out ol' Betsy. She's much more persuasive than Louie here."

When he had gone to meet with Gentleman Joe Capon II Hardnose had been both humble and skilled, using his nose to sniff out the spy that was working for a rival gang and using his newfound protégé to gather information and even more importantly teach her how and when to use it. Little Danielle had been both talented and motivated and she had swiftly become far more than the face of their organization she was quickly the brains as well and Hardnose couldn't help but feel the swell of pride and optimism that filled him as he looked at his boss.

Stepping away from his trip down memory lane Hardnose offered, "An anonymous guest is joining us this evening. I got another hit from that same IP address on the server."

Danielle's eyes narrowed as her brain kicked into overdrive; then in an apparent non sequitur she asked, "Are Brighteyes and Rodney still on tonight?"

Neither fooled nor thrown off by this, Hardnose had answered, "Of course they are. All of our people have been called in since the Party in the Park ended and Brighteyes has the footage ready for you whenever you'd like to see it."

Nodding Velvet asked, "Do you think that I need to isolate this 'guest'?"

Thinking quickly Hardnose offered, "not necessarily, but…I'll have security standing by and make sure that if this 'guest' arrives through the underground that it's the same person as before. If it isn't then you need to let security handle them but if its her…I'll send word and you can decide what to do while the staff sets her up in one of the parlors."

Knowing that Hardnose was right Lady Velvet nodded and offered, "After this all blows over we should take a vacation."

Hardnose grinned, that was the same thing they had been promising each other for the past ten years. "Sure thing Danielle."

Clearing his throat he stepped back into his familiar role and offered Lady Velvet his synopsis of the newest developments, "Steelbeak is working on something for F.O.W.L. high command, I personally think that he is trying to work up a picture of who has been dismantling F.O.W.L.'s infrastructure in the area. But…he MAY actually be doing duel duty for the Capon's too since JC is going to be in the slammer for a while yet. Gentleman Joe is getting on in years after all and Steelbeak IS family oriented."

Nodding Velvet offered," I think you are right Hardnose, I'll send out the contact information and see what happens tonight."

---

Steelbeak moved quietly as he watched several otherwise uninteresting people disappear into the warehouse district. Steelbeak was a courageous bird but he was alone and no one went into the warehouse district alone just to satisfy their curiosity. This being the case though he HAD to ask himself, what were those people up to?

They were definitely locals, and most of them were avian but the few rats he had seen were all going that way too. Ducking behind a dumpster his eyes narrowed as several weasels slunk past his position clearly following the ducks and rats.

Unable to completely contain his frustration Steelbeak snarled to himself and said in his distinctive accent, "A, Aha, ha I can't stand it. It's a freaking parade route down here tonight and whatever it is I'd better look into it. F.O.W.L. is planning on sending Ammonia Pine and her sister back into this area in a month and if I tick dem off F.O.W.L. high command will make me deal with those ditzy dames again."

Shuddering at the thought of Ammonia and Grime he sighed and readied his hand gun. Creeping along he snuck after his prey, not so secretly wishing he had a few dozen eggmen to use as cover and bait since the darkened area he was going through was really starting to creep him out. But F.O.W.L. had been quite clear, Steelbeak was on his own for the next month and it was up to him to scout out the area and make his own arrangements until F.O.W.L. sent in Agent's Pine and Grime. Equipment and personnel would follow them once they pulled off their assignment and F.O.W.L. felt that it would be profitable or at least not disastrous to set up a few operations in the St. Canard area again….

Grumbling to himself Steelbeak reflected sourly, "At least I don't have to worry about either of dose caped creeps for a while. De rumor mill has Negs off babysittin' and that do-gooder Darkwing is all wrapped up in that court case downtown."

Steelbeak shuddered, he almost felt sorry for the caped wonder blunder. The little he had seen on the news and from the whispers at Velvet's place had been enough to turn his stomach. After all he was a career criminal but he WAS a pro and no one liked sex predators. They gave everyone a bad name.

Shaking off his shivers Steelbeak settled his plumage under his suit and crept up to peer from around a different dumpster and frankly stared at the sight before him. There were at least a dozen people gathered around Hammerhead Hannigan and his two bookends Hoof and Mouth who were holding court on a loading dock. Steelbeak couldn't hear much from his position but just the fact that those three were in town and most likely recruiting cannon fodder was news.

Those three worked for Clovis Bovine and F.O.W.L. had been looking for her for months. It WAS possible that they were here without her, but Steelbeak doubted it. Those three had disappeared with her and it wasn't likely they had cut their ties to Taurus Bulba's old organization; and no matter what anyone said, until he personally burned the body Steelbeak wasn't going to count Taurus among the dearly departed anytime soon.

That being the case he tried to sneak closer and find out exactly what Hammerhead was saying but being a four and a half foot tall, white plumed rooster in a white Armani suit meant he wasn't exactly inconspicuous. Never the less Steelbeak was almost close enough to hear well when the meeting broke up and most of the people followed Hoof and Mouth deeper into the maze of warehouses. Unfortunately for Steelbeak this meant that Hammerhead looked up and happened to see Steelbeak's distinctive and classic three feathered, red plumed tail sticking out from behind the barrel that was his current hiding place.

Opening fire on the spy and cussing to himself Hammerhead cursed again as Steelbeak came out from behind his barrel and rolled behind a pallet lifter returning fire. Hammerhead fumed as his own gun jammed, and recognizing Steelbeak he dodged back behind one of the cranes that lifted loads onto trucks from the loading dock. Hammerhead knew he was in trouble…Steelbeak had seen him for sure and even if he hadn't caught sight of Hoof and Mouth; having Steelbeak discover that they were working in St. Canard was a very BAD thing.

Taurus Bulba was far more driven by fury now than the intelligence and planning that had made him so successful before his run in with Darkwing and rebirth as a cyborg and if the rooster followed them there was no telling if any of them would survive Bulba's wrath filled reaction. Hammerhead knew that he had to get away and most of all not be followed so he borrowed a page from the villainous handbook usually used by the more…dramatic caped and masked villains like Negaduck and whipped out his second best throwing knife and several short fused bombs from the two for one sale he had attended at Explosives R Us.

Leaping out after the sixth shot Hammerhead threw both of the bombs at the roosters position and smiled grimly at the shouted expletive that resulted as Steelbeak emerged juggling one of the bombs and his gun. The second bomb went off causing the pallet lifter to move slightly. The resulting smoke wasn't that heavy and Hammerhead readied his knife.

Steelbeak kept his wits and threw the bomb he was juggling back at the goat-headed gangster and tried again to replace the clip in his gun. As the bomb exploded the flash and smoke blinded Steelbeak and by the time he staggered toward where he'd last seen Hammerhead Hannigan the gangster had thrown his knife and pinned Steelbeak's right sleeve to the crane. Steelbeak ruthlessly pulled his sleeve loose and looked frantically around but Hammerhead had made good on his escape while Steelbeak had been distracted by the knife attack.

Muttering unhappily and morosely fingering the ragged tear in his suit jacket Steelbeak groaned, "Des is definitely NOT my night, sheesh I'd better word my report carefully. If F.O.W.L. high command get da wrong idea I'll have a lot more to worry about than my cleaning bill."

---

_Okay, in the next bit I am going to skip ahead a bit toward the end of Trials and tribulations and have Velvet's take on the building tensions in St. Canard I also and going to touch on QJ and Licky. Licky's story is titled Kings and Pawns and I am working on the first two chapters of it as well. Please DO let me know if anyone has any suggestions or comments thanks, your friend Irual _


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: all of the characters invented and owned by the Disney Corp. are being used without permission and for no monetary gains of any kind. This story is the connector between Trials & Tribulations (the Heroic Characters) and the three other villain fictions I am working on called Grounding Elmo, Kings & Pawns and Through Rose Colored Glass which feature Megavolt/Negaduck; Liquidator/ and an OC; and Bushroot respectively and which happen while Trials & Tribulations is going on. _

_In this chapter I hope to address what occupied Quackerjack for the month or so that Darkwing was in Duckburg and get Steelbeak reorganized since F.O.W.L. has been taking it on the chin from a 'mysterious' series of attacks in recent months. Also there are a few cuss words from various villains but HEY they are the bad guys and I figure they do that sort of thing. There is also mention of alcohol consumption but no one actually drinks it. (this IS a story about bad guys…but they are DISNEY bad guys so I am trying for lightness even for them, but I thought I should warn readers) hence the T rating, If ever I exceed this or anything is too offensive please DO e mail me or PM me and I'll adjust things as much as I can. I also welcome suggestions so…please read and review thanks very much Irual_

_---_

Lady Velvet frowned as she perused the news wires and the reports from her online team of information specialists. Her connections online were fairly standard since she was investigated so often and so thoroughly but that was why she had one of Brighteyes' sons filter information for her from his team of connections. From what she was seeing, the F.O.W.L. networks were up and running and the European crime lords looked to be doing business as usual, but something wasn't adding up….

Turning her attention to the local scene, she opened her snail mail first and set aside the usual requests to have events hosted at the Velvet Rope and R.S.V.P. cards from the club members before opening the one envelope addressed to her in colored marker. She noticed that the seal on the envelope had been opened but she wasn't worried in fact; she was actually relieved.

Hardnose had been the one to bring the mail and he wouldn't have allowed Quackerjack's letter to pass him by without inspecting it for the toymakers disturbing tricks. Quackerjack DID try and keep his more lethal ideas confined to his crimes, and Michael was far more considerate than anyone who knew of his alter ego would have suspected; but neither of them were what she would consider stable emotionally. Even on one of their play dates Danielle never considered herself entirely 'safe' with them…of course the danger WAS part of the appeal….

Smiling slightly at the memory of the last such occasion about a month ago, she looked over the rest of the snail mail and decided that the rest could wait. Quackerjack seldom sent her anything, even if he thought of her…so the fact that he made the effort meant that this was something she needed to look into. The 'letter' was several pages long and surprisingly coherent but it was the caper chronicled within that made her touch the stud built into her desk to warn her staff she was busy for the next little bit and settle back into her chair to make sure she understood every word contained in the missive.

Hi, it's your turn playmate. Ready, set, go! I am writing to tell you about our newest game. I know how much you like to play, and I don't want to leave you out. I was with Bushy and Licky and together we were headed out of town. Licky was working on a sales pitch and he agreed that we could come along so he could use our talents to enhance his campaign….

We were helping Liquidator with what he called product distribution and Bushroot was chatting with some of the trees beside the highway where we were getting my life sized giant Christmas nutcrackers to load a convoy of trucks when Bushroot suddenly fell over in a faint. There was another game going on besides us I guess, but it's hard to say since Bushroot didn't wake up until we got back to St. Canard.

Liquidator wasn't happy that Bushroot's plants were not helping once Bushroot gave up his turns in our game. But it wasn't that big a deal since my toys finished up things just fine. (And they were MUCH more FUN than those stuffy old plants) AND you'll be glad to know that I have become inspired to produce a whole new line of outdoor toys that I think will be a HUGE hit in St. Canard. Once Liquidator took his delivery, he went to visit someone that I think he wants to have for a playmate…but I am not sure that he plays by the same rules for that game that we do and I haven't heard from him in about two weeks.

When we were headed home, we met up with my BEST Playmate MEGSY. BUT (sniff) He has a NEW playmate now and he's busy playing with HER! I was very upset let me tell you, but the neat thing is that she woke up Bushroot and he took us back to St. Canard. I have been busy making my new line of toys but I am planning on showing them off at the end of September. I hope you will schedule a play date for us sometime after my newest line is finished,

Your playmate QJ

Lady Velvet glanced uneasily at her calendar and saw that if things were going according to Quackerjack's timetable, St. Canard should be in serious trouble in the next couple of weeks. Deciding to err on the side of caution she quickly placed a call to have Hardnose send one of her steadiest girls for a special briefing. First Agent Grizzlikof was supposed to come to dinner tonight and even though she would never betray Quacky, Velvet knew that S.H.U.S.H. was still without their top local operative.

Darkwing hadn't been seen on the streets of St. Canard much even though he had returned from Duckburg and according to her sources that kept tabs on McDuck Enterprises he had been busy doing some sort of investigating for the Billionaire. This being the case, she thought that it would be a good idea to give S.H.U.S.H. a nudge…. The extensive intelligence and terrorism response agency tended to be react well to situations they were aware of but without the kind of shaking up of the criminal hierarchy that Darkwing did for them; they were a bit slower on the uptake than Velvet was really comfortable with on the local front.

Negaduck wasn't one to interfere with his gang unless they got in his way and if Quacky shut down the city's services it would disrupt her finances. Of course she HAD her own generator and a small clinic for her people…but having a super-villain destroying large areas of the city would disrupt her finances if she had trouble fulfilling her contracts.

Velvet grimaced and admitted as she slid the letter into her files, that having the wealthy clientele she used as cover hiding and complaining would be bad for her bottom line as well. When the criminal element got too vigorous in their pursuits it tended to make the rich and famous avoid the area and that would be bad for business too.

Some of her best sources were in entertainment and the series of events she had planned for September would have to be canceled if she couldn't maintain a balance between the appearance of safety for the jet-set and their actual safety. Granted many of them enjoyed the vicarious thrill of thinking they were flirting with danger but it was poor business to actually endanger them.

Sighing to herself, Velvet looked toward the door as a quiet knock signaled the arrival of Jessica and turned her attention to prepping the girl for her role tonight. IF things went well it was even possible that she could tender an offer to Director Hooter through Grizzlikof and if he came to the Velvet Rope before mid September….

---

Steelbeak slumped into his favorite lounge chair and took a few deep breaths as he stared at the video phone in his hand. That call could have gone better…but at least it was over and only one of high command had been ticked off enough to threaten him with early retirement and for someone in his position that USUALLY meant becoming uncomfortably and permanently dead. He sighed, and reflected miserably on the sorry state of his life as he went to get changed into another suit and send this one out to be cleaned and repaired this was the second suit he had decimated this week!

It had been nearly two weeks since he had seen Hammerhead Hannigan and his cronies recruiting in the warehouse district and he was getting just as frustrated as High Command over his lack of solid leads but there wasn't much more he could do on his own. He wasn't a detective…damn it all! He WAS a highly skilled and trained operative and F.O.W.L. WAS still getting its collective feet back under themselves from the weird attacks on their foreign holdings which was why he had gotten away so lightly with his chat just now. He usually had a much narrower set of goals and a lot more resources than this but F.O.W.L. HAD paid him through the end of the year as of this week and other than the death threat the other members of F.O.W.L. High Command had been reasonable; hence the hefty paycheck.

If High Command wanted better results then he needed better Intel. At this, Steelbeak paused and considered what his frustrated mind had just come up with and settled further into the chair to sip on one of the fruit juice cocktails that that bear-like female that had healed him had made him promise to drink.

He felt like a real sissy not loading his glass with a martini or some other more sophisticated drink but…he HAD promised and remembering the glow of her eyes as he'd floated in agony while his flesh had been cleaned of the remnants of his suit and plumes he knew he didn't want to break that promise. He still drank alcohol, but only after the fruit drinks and eight glasses of water…he wasn't going to mess around and anger a Mage-born. In spite of what his grandfather thought; his momma didn't raise a fool!

Suddenly struck by that thought Chanticleer swallowed his pride along with the last of the juice and placed a call to one of the weasels that answered to his civilian side. A few minutes later the rooster was whistling as he went to the taxi stand near his high-rise apartment and went to visit his grandfather. He was a dutiful grandson after all and Gramps might have some suggestions that would point him in a new direction if he asked.

Gentleman Joe Capon II had decided early on to focus his efforts on feeding people's gambling habits. After almost a decade of effort he had finally gotten the necessary legislation passed to build a legal Casino/Hotel resort on his waterfront property on the downtown side of the Audubon Bay Bridge just past the business district. Steelbeak knew that the plans were still being worked out and that Gramps had decided to have several silent partners along with Lady Velvet. She had been instrumental in getting them this far since she was ever so 'connected' with many of the movers and shakers in the tri-state area; even the few 'honest' ones.

The casino project wasn't something that concerned him directly of course, but Steelbeak WAS concerned that maybe Gramps was overextending himself what with letting other 'investors' have so much input in the project. J.C. was still stuck in the slammer and all…but so far Gramps hadn't admitted to the identity of any of his other partners. Chanticleer had already been forbidden from breaking his dad out of prison early when he had brought the idea up earlier in the year but he was a Capon and damn if he was going to let anyone mess with the family.

J.C. was going to be fronting the new operation with Gramps and they wanted to placate the authorities by having him serve out his sentence and become 'reformed'. Steelbeak knew that his career choice still puzzled his family, but no one had objected in a serious way since he had attained Chief Agent status and been assigned to the tri state area. It DID mean he was kept out of the innermost circle of plans on the business side of family affairs though and now was one of those times when that was a pain in the tail feathers.

Shaking of his introspective mood he paid the taxi as it let him out in front of the unassuming little office park where Gramps had his current working area. Since he had hired architects and advertisers and other legal specialists to work on making this project a reality, this office was where he met with them and made arrangements for meetings and such and Chanticleer was hoping that he could coax the older bird into putting in a few modifications to the designs that would come in handy for an enterprising bird like himself as well as profit the family.

Gentleman Joe Capon looked up from his desk to see his grandson Chanticleer stepping into the room and as he looked the younger rooster over Joe couldn't help but be glad at the sight of him. From all accounts the boy had handled himself well in that mess back in May and from the way he moved and the healthy sheen of his thick plumes it looked as though he was fully recovered, physically at least. There was still a certain sort of wariness around his eyes and a hesitant angle to the set of his comb though; but that might just be because he knew that his working outside the family businesses meant that Joe didn't entirely approve of his lifestyle.

Rising from the chair, Joe stepped around the desk and grabbed Chanticleer in a huge hug that lifted him off his feet saying, "Damn boy…it's good to see you out and about."

Stepping back slightly and setting Chanticleer back on his feet Joe continued in a stern tone but with a twinkle in his eye, "And I know you had to get caught up and see to your other obligations but it's about time you came to pay your respects in person. I was beginning to think I'd have to have one of the enforcers bring me to Canard Tower and camp out there in order to get to see you."

Steelbeak laughed uncomfortably at the image of his grandfather camping out in his apartment and paled slightly at the thought of how the old school rooster would have reacted to being there when his grandson came home with 'female company'. Not that any of them would be offensive to Gramps; but Chanticleer knew that Grandma and his mother Jemma Capon were both getting anxious for him to settle down and give them children to look after and they wanted another female in the family. Gramps was bound to start that lecture all over again if he saw any of Velvet's girls or one of the other escorts or even a female colleague in his apartment.

Ignoring that for now, Steelbeak asked with a little laugh, "a aha ah you must be working out a lot Gramps. I'm no lightweight now that I am healthy again. I have put in the gym time and rebuilt my muscle mass too."

Joe replied, "Glad to hear it boy. Now I know you need something, you always do. So why don't you spell it out for me and I'll see what I can do before I meet with the architects after lunch. I expect you to contact the womenfolk personally too. I'll let them know you'll be by for Sunday dinner. That way they can feed you right and see you for themselves."

Chanticleer winced at this but he was resigned to looking like a selfish bird since he DID want something, even though what he wanted WAS for both their benefits. He also knew that family dinner was the least he was going to have to pay for going back to the family for help; but it HAD been several months since he'd been back to the family compound and after all he'd been through, Chanticleer wanted to see Ma and Grandma. Quietly and in a businesslike manner he began outlining what was worrying him and what he was up against.

Joe was more than a bit surprised that Chanticleer was so concerned about the silent partners in this enterprise. But his concern DID show a certain awareness that Joe was glad to see, and the fact that the boy understood the situation made him glad. After all, once he got this whole secret agent thing worked out of his system he'd be a big help to J.C. and that was a good thing.

Shaking his head over the fact that these F.O.W.L. people were expecting Chanticleer to come up with leads on his own, Joe stroked a hand along his bill thoughtfully and asked, "What do you plan on doing about the situation with these F.O.W.L. people Chanti? I mean, it sounds as though this is some sort of territorial dispute going on between them and whoever is behind these attacks you told me about. What with them not sending you anything in the way of information or people; it sounds to me like whoever is behind all this has the upper hand. At least they seem to so far; and IF F.O.W.L. expects you to change that you won't be able to on your own."

Joe sighed to himself as Chanticleer bristled with wounded pride and the haunted look in his eyes increased a little and Joe relented, "I didn't mean it like that and you know it! You're no greenhorn pullet fresh from the farmyard so pay attention!"

Steelbeak sat up straighter in the chair he had slumped into and watched Gentleman Joe attentively and Gentleman Joe was glad to see the spark of hope in his eyes as the old gangster continued, "Grandson or no I am too old to get involved in a turf war…but, I don't want to lose you so here's what we'll do…."

---

Dirk Mallard whistled with uncharacteristic good cheer as he shut down his computer and went to the kitchen to grab a beer. Joining World of Wonder had seemed like a total waste of time but it seemed Anna DID have a point after all; fragging all those wimps in their stupid duels WAS fun as was sneaking up on them and just killing them.

Raiding had its upside too it was just too bad that he couldn't steal their equipment and money when he killed them. Of course writing a cheat that would give him duplicates of their stuff was an idea that he might even get away with unless he happened to attract the attention of the DM's. But since he'd signed up for this game with his Dirk Mallard identity, he wasn't planning on getting kicked out of the game; it would be a bad mark on his clean ID and credit score and he wasn't going there until he had to. He had also briefly toyed with the idea of breaking into the 'secure' information in the internet payment servers and stealing some of the other client's identities but that was going to have to wait too.

He had seen Drake playing WoW with Gosalyn in the compact which was what had given him the added incentive to join the game to find them aside from Anna's enjoyment of this weird online community obsession thing. Unknown to them he had even started a separate character he was careful to be ever so sickeningly nice with to chat occasionally with Gosalyn and her little guildies as well as Drake since the anonymity of their avatars and the impersonal distance of the internet connection made him more comfortable than trying to face Drake in person.

Dirk still hadn't confessed who he was in the game to them and he didn't want to set off any kind of problem that would alert Drake to who he was since his do-gooder character had been allowed on their friend lists. Drake played with them as often as he could but the children played without him fairly often which was what had prompted Dirk to check on them this morning. After all if HE could contact Gosalyn then there was no telling what some other perverted weirdo would do! And it would be a cold day in Hell before he'd let anything happen to her, or any of the rest of their family.

He ignored the twinge in the region of his chest at the thought of losing contact with Drake again and mused irritably…. Drake's parenting skills were almost decent; other than the whole teaching her to be a hero thing of course…but still, why take chances?

None of the guild had been online so he had switched to his evil death knight that he used to duel with and kicked some tail feathers to relax, but after glancing at the clock he knew he'd wasted enough time on fun and it was time to get back to business. Just then his feathers shifted slightly as though he was standing in a slight breeze and the Chain around his neck buzzed comfortingly.

Recognizing the sensation and feeling suddenly as though Drake was being particularly do-gooder like and therefore most likely getting himself into yet another disaster from which he would likely escape JUST because he was a 'hero' Dirk snorted to himself and started to slam the refrigerator door shut. Instead of guzzling his beer and stomping off to practice destroying something with his personal favorite weapon Mr. Chainsaw though he acted on instinct and reached past his anger and decided to see what Drake was really up to.

Dropping his beer back into the cooler of ice and settling into the loveseat in the bedroom; Dirk dipped his left hand into the pocket of his baby blue sweater vest to get the mirror he used to check up on Drake. He grimaced at his reflection since he felt rather like a sissy in this outfit, but after the last time he'd lost his temper and pulled out his chainsaw and destroyed the computer when he became frustrated he had agreed to wear this outfit when he played. That way he'd have a chance to calm down before he destroyed anything since he had a few tricks hidden away in this outfit but not anything instantly destructive….

NOT that he was going soft or anything…Anna knew who was the boss. However, he winced at the recent memory of when he'd sawn the computer in half. The resulting electric shock he'd gotten had really scared Anna and the smell of burned feathers had lingered humiliatingly for hours even though he'd been relatively unharmed once the initial zap had worn off so he'd agreed to wear this outfit…and she'd been quite, enthusiastic in her appreciation of his compromise too.

Focusing on the mirror and ignoring the flutters of desire in his belly at the thought of Anna and her many talents, and the rather disturbing glimmer of memory that surged to his mind that insisted that the Spell Chain he wore had had something significant to do with his relatively unscathed state. He uneasily remembered that the chainsaw had missed his feet when he'd dropped it.

He also recalled that his scorched tail feathers had been the only physical sign of the electricity that he'd absorbed which HAD been a bit unusual, Dirk also determinedly ignoring the fact that the Chain had glowed even in the daylight of the room for a short while after the accident. Focusing on Drake he looked in the compact and nervously fingered the chain at his neck which quieted under his touch. What he saw was Drake, dressed in his hokey hero costume looking pretty tired and seated in the co-pilot's seat of the Thunderquack. The Masked Mallard was speaking to Launchpad but the look on his face didn't bode well for whomever he was talking about.

For reasons Dirk refused to put a name on or acknowledge directly; he felt uneasy at the sight of Drake. Faintly he wished he could do something more direct to help Drake, he was still very thin and the stress he had been under was still evident from his dull feathers and discouraged slump. But of course Drake WASN'T a total moron and he still refused to put much trust in Dirk in any of his personas.

This was actually something that Dirk didn't blame Drake for, he knew just how tenuous his hold on his temper and need for violence was; and feeling discouraged he started to close the lid of the compact. Suddenly to his utter shock the Chain around his neck tingled and he heard sound coming from the mirror as well as the picture.

Drake was saying, "Mr. McDuck will be disappointed, but…there wasn't any way to be faster LP."

Reassuringly Launchpad replied, "You have been building the case as quickly as you could DW and S.H.U.S.H. has sent the information to the F.B.I. and the D.I.A. and customs as well as the D.E.A. and even with…everything; we are only a couple of weeks behind what he hoped for. The federal charges have been pulled and all we have to do is give this report to Mr. McDuck and he'll be able to rebut any accusations from any of the companies in the private sector."

Drake perked up slightly at this encouragement before he said grimly, "maybe so LP but Mr. McDuck has been losing a lot of profit and even I know how he feels about that. And worst of all, although S.H.U.S.H. has been working on a cure for almost three months we still aren't any closer to helping poor Herb."

At this Launchpad winced and admitted, "Yeah, poor Honkman…. Dr. Bellum has asked around but what we really need is someone that can tell what can counter the chemical cocktail in that poison and so far all the usual methods of research aren't helping at all."

But then Launchpad's natural optimism came through and he offered, "At least Herb seems stable now and Mrs. Muddlefoot is doing a little better."

Nodding Darkwing agreed, "True enough old buddy. We will be going to visit them again next Monday but, I am not sure who else we could ask to investigate that stuff. I still have one of the vials in the lair but I need to get rid of it. It's too dangerous to risk around Morgana or the kids."

Launchpad grinned and agreed, "Heh, he, heh right-o DW! Between Gos and the Kin nothing in the lair is really out of bounds. Remember what happened when Gos and Cleo decided to help you make your sneezing powder capsules?"

Dirk grinned as Drake paled and said, "Don't remind me LP I was sneezing my feathers off for over an hour!"

Launchpad sobered a little and offered, "Well at least Morgana managed to spell most of them back into your outer coat until you molt again."

At this Drake developed a distinct pink tinge all over as he blushed violently and cleared his throat before determinedly changing the subject back to poor Herb Muddlefoot.

Looking thoughtful Drake said, "Dr. Bellum's research assistants HAVE determined that most of the chemicals in that poison are derived from some kind of Asian botanicals but they can't isolate what they need to administer to Herb to remove the traces from his kidneys and liver and unless they do there isn't much hope of weaning him off the machines."

Upon hearing this statement from dear heroic Drake, Dirk grinned an almost mischievous grin that made Anna step towards him with an inquisitive expression as she emerged from the ensuite bathrom. Dirk snapped the mirror shut and tucked it safely in his pocket before nibbling aggressively on Anna's soft down under her lower bill. She responded and returned the caress but made no verbal protest as he pulled away after only a few moments of intimacy. Her only reaction had been to look at him with her best smoldering pout and to leave a hand on his chest for a few seconds longer than she ordinarily would have. Dirk's ego simply enjoyed her aroused state, which combined with his recent idea for bamboozling Drake meant he was now in an effusively great mood.

Dirk's expression held deep satisfaction…he now had the PERFECT way to get under Drake's feathers. And best of all; the Do-gooder was bound to feel grateful and maybe even just a tiny bit obligated to the five after THIS…. Then his cynical side piped up and he mentally amended that thought to just himself and Bushroot instead of the entire gang.

He was going to call Drake's 'lair' phone tonight and see if Drake would agree to meet him in their civvies, but for now he had an urgent appointment with a certain plant/duck hybrid scientist. Summoning his self discipline, he resolutely ignored Anna's pert tail that peeked out of the back of her leotard and gestured for her to continue on her way to the room upstairs where they had some exercise equipment set up. She blushed as his hand's caressed her ample hip on her way by but she understood his body language and knew that he wasn't in the mood to continue their preening.

Cautiously she offered, "How can I help you Dirk?"

The Spell Chain necklace at her throat twinkled at him, its cheeky sparkle matching the saucy glint in her eyes. He chuckled and stepped into the elevator built into the foyer of his penthouse and pushed the button that would send the car directly to his other property in the below ground basement space of the tower.

As the doors shut he said, "Just keep to your training schedule. Muscovy and I are heading for Spoonerville as soon as I get things worked out here. I want to have a chat with that goofy Von Drake character and you need to keep up your conditioning."

She nodded and headed for the treadmill without commenting but her eyes were alight with excitement since Dirk was consenting to allowing her to be part of his work again. He had been exceedingly cautious after that whole strange incident in Duckburg after they had rescued Megavolt.

Even though she felt fine once she woke up after the fight with that Shunt bear-thing Negaduck had insisted that she follow a strict regimen including regular rest, training exercises and a series of juice drinks before every meal for the past month. Dirk had also refused to allow her to leave the penthouse alone, even going so far as to accompany her in his civilian disguise to shop and run errands.

He HAD threatened dire consequences to her if she mentioned anything about his disguise or his lack of fashion sense as Dirk though. In honesty though this had been a comfort since his obsessive attentiveness had been more than a bit disquieting as she had continued to improve physically.

He had donned his Negaduck side and flatly forbidden her to return to her tiny rented space in the slums other than to retrieve her things or to do anything as Muscovy until he mentioned it today. Anna had to admit that she was glad he seemed to be in agreement with her assessment of her physical improvement; but the most confusing thing about this whole thing was that she hadn't felt bad at all once she had awakened in Duckburg in that strange house with Negaduck and a very tall strangely dressed duck even though she KNEW she had been badly hurt by that bear.

She had to admit that Negaduck's concern had been flattering, and that tall duck had been very comforting although most of her memories of him were very vague. To keep herself occupied between rehabilitation sessions she had joined WoW and convinced Dirk to play some with her as well since the penthouse didn't really have a lot of space available to practice hand to hand techniques or weapons work.

The only downside to her month or so of rehabilitation was that she had become bored without any real work as Muscovy…. The only exception had been their evening out at the Velvet Rope about two weeks ago and even then he had been solicitous once they had returned to the penthouse and it had been far more date than work; not that she was going to complain about that! Dirk had seemed pleased with her observations about the crowd and they had both enjoyed each other mentally, physically and emotionally every night since then, but he was very moody and she knew instinctively not to push his temper now.

She absently caressed her necklace and smiled at the memory of when he had gifted it to her, it tingled and all her feathers fluffed but she didn't realize anything unusual was happening; instead she began her warm ups as a soothing warmth flooded her body. Meanwhile her memories of Negaduck's hair-trigger temper were flowing past her mind's eye as well as memories of her training in being unnoticed and in gaining control of people's emotional state in order to shift crowds and minimize violence.

---

_Alrighty, this is most likely the end of the road for this fic unless I get an interesting request for more. I am planning on writing the next plot called 'Through Rose Colored Glass' and it happens starting directly after this one. Then comes 'My son the Vigilante', a plot that addresses Drake's foster parent's the Beakwoods and their reminiscing with Morgana and other interested parties about Drakey Mallard and his transformation to Drake/ Darkwing. But before then I plan on finishing Gosalyn's Past, Grounding Elmo and Kings and Pawns so as to catch everyone up to mid September. And then…_

_Drum roll please…thank you. Ehem, you are all cordially invited to the celebrity wedding of Darkwing Duck that mysterious and shadowy protector of St. Canard and leader of the team the Justice Ducks to the fabulously wealthy and exotic Lady Morgana Macabre; a foreign dignitary and member in good standing of the team of H.E.R.O. 'S the Justice Ducks. This exclusive event will take place on the evening of November 14__th__ due to the bride's request that the ceremony be outdoors and illuminated by the full moon. More details to be released as they are finalized by the wedding planners so R.S.V.P. to reserve your place at the reception it's sure to bring down the house!_

_Now back to your regularly scheduled author groveling, please do contact me and send me feedback pretty please? I LIVE for that! Your friend and obsessed fan girl Irual_


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